Boat propeller



Non 13 1923.

J. D. PARK, JR

BOAT PROPELLER 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 4, 1922 V uw@ afar/mf;

wlTNEsSES:

ATTORNEY Nov.- 13 1923. F.

J. D. PARK, JR

BOAT PROPELLER Filed Aug. 4, 1922 4 Sheets-Shea?l 2 INVENTOR WITNESS: ATTORNEY Nov. 13 1923. 1,473,832

, J` D. PARK, JR

BOAT PROPELLER Filed Aug. 4, 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 WITNESSE: ATTORNEY Nov. 13,'1923.

lNVENTOR ATTORNEY 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 y. D. PARK, JR

' BOAT PROPELLER Filed Aug. 4, 1922 Patented Nov. 13, 1923.

UNITED srafriis PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN D. PARK, J' R., OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

BOAT PROPELLER.

Application filed August 4, 1922. Serial No. 579,732.

This invention relates to water craft par` ticularly to Small boats of the power type, and has for its object the provision vof a novel propeller mounting whereby the pro peller will be automatically moved up toward the bottom of the boat in case of shoal water of such shallowness that the ordinary propeller might strike against the bottom an'd be damaged.

An important object is the provision of a propeller mechanism including a tunnel hingedly mounted upon the bottom of the boat and enclosing the propeller, the tunnel carrying a shoe which is engageable with' the bottom in case the water is very shallow and which will operate to swing the tunnel upwardly so that the propeller cannot possibly touch the bottom.

Another object is the provision of a device of this character which is provided with means whereby the tunnel meinbermay be located in either selected position depending upon whether the boat is to used in deep or shallow water.

Still another object is the provision of a novel mounting for the tunnel member which will permit it to have the maximum efiiciency.

An additional object is the provision of a device of this character which will be sim- Vple and inexpensive in manufacture, etlicient and durable in service, positive in action and a general improvement in the art.

With the above and other objects and advantages in [view the invention consistsin the details of construction to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the laccompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of a boat equipped with my propeller structure, theV parts being in normal position,

Figure Q is a top plan view,

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view,

Figure 4 is a rear elevation,

Figure 5 is a longitudinal section showing the tunnel member in its uppermost position,

Figure 6 is a cross sectional view taken through the propeller support,

Figure 7 is a detail sectional View showing the locking mechanism,

:Figure 8 is a detail section on the line SS of Figure 7,

Figure 9 is a cross section through the locking rod showing a plan of the retaining member,

Figure l0 is a vertical section through a modified form of the invention, the tunnel being in lowered position,

Figure ll is a bottom plan View,

Figure l2 is a vertical section showing the tunnel raised.' n

Referring more particularly to the drawings and especially to Figures'lY to 9, the letter A vdesignates the hull of a boat which is here shown as having a square stern B and which has the rear end of its bottom inclined upwardly as indicated at G. The letter D designates the propeller shaft which is driven by any ordinary or preferred engine, the latter forming no part of the present invention.

In carrying out my invention I provide a pair of supporting arms l0 which are suitably secured to the hull Av and which extend beyond the stern in a downwardly inclined direction and which have their rear extremities connected by a cross bar l1 which is provided with a bearing 12 for the rudder post 13 carrying the usual rudder 14 and provided with any suitable control means. I further employ a tunnel structure designated broadly by the numeral l5 and including two trough like sections 16 and 17. The forward section 16 has its forward end hinged, at 18, to the bottom of, the hull at the forward end of the inclined portion C, while the section 17 has its rear end hinged, as shown at 19, to the rear ends of the arms l0. The sides 2O of the forward tunnel section 16 are triangular in shape with the wider ends at the rear and j narily the tunnel members or sections 16 and 24 through which is journaled a shaft 25' carrying the propeller 26 and connected with the shaft D by a universal joint 27. Pivoted upon the hull7 as shown 28, at the forward end' of the inclined portion C' is a rearwardly extending rod`29 which is connected near its rear end with the `cross member 22 by means of a support 3() and which has its extremity formed as a shoe 31 Adesigned to engage upon the bottom of shoal water 'for moving the ltunnel structure upwardly. f

Fixtendinfr through a suitable packing member 32 in the hull is a shaft 35 'which is connected with the forward tunnel member 16 and which carries a handle 34. This shaft also carries a projection 35 engageable against either the top or the bottom of a sleeve 36 which is formed with a key way 37 through which the lug orprojection 35 may pass when the shaft 33 is turned to a certain position. The lower end of this shaft must naturally have a swivel connection as well as a sliding connection with the tunnel strueture. i

In the operation it will be seen that ordi 17 are in their lowermost positions as shown in Figure l, whereupon the propeller shaft will extend downwardly in an inclined direction. The boat is ofcourse propelled in the usual manner. The tunnel member may be held in such downwardly extending positionby turning the handle 34 sufheiently i that the projection 35 will register with the key way 37 and'then pressing the shaft 33 downwardly until the projection 35 clears the sleeve 36 and ysubsequently turning the handle so that the projection 35 will engage beneath the lower endy of the sleeve. Itl is then impossible for the tunnel lmembers to be moved upwardly'.

water, and assuming that the device is not locked described, the engagement of the shoe 31 with the bottom will cause the tunnel sections 16 and 17 to swing upwardly into the position shown in Figure 5, the section 16 lying flat against the inclined portion C ofthehull. After the craft passes over the shoal and again enters deep water the tunnelmembers Vare gravitationally returned rte" normal position. If desired the tunnel members may be lockedin'their up- In the event that the boat runs into shoal permost positions by pulling the shaft 33 up and then turning it so that the projection 35 will bear upon the upper end of the sleeve.

Inl Figures l0 to l2 I have shown a modied form of the. invention in which there is provided only one tunnel member. In theseV figures I have shownlthe stern portion of the boat as having its underside carryingr spaced air tight tanks 40 which are rectangular in plan and wedge shaped in longitudinal sectionj that is tapered to nothing at their forward ends. The inner sides of these tanks constitute tunnel sides. Upon the bottom of the boatis secured a suitable bearing bracket 4l through which is journaled a rock shaft 42 secured to the forward end of a movable tunnel member 43 which is of trough shape as shown and which carries forwardly extending arms 44 connected by a cross rod 45 formed centrally with an e ongated guide loop 46 which extends substantially vertically. This movable tunnel member maybe equipped with exactly the. same raising and lowering device and locking means therefor as described in the first form of the invention. It is however to be noted that the stern of the boat is formed withian inclined portion 47 against which the movable tunnel will lie Vwhen in its raised position.

Pivoted at 48 on the underside of the boat hull between the tanks'40 is a rearwardly extending arm 49 which is guid ably received within the loop 46 and which carries a depending arm 50 having` a bearing 5l for the propeller shaft 52 which is connected with the drive shaft D by a universal joint 53.

Pivoted at 54 on the beat bottom is a shoe 55 which has its rear end supported by the lower end of the arm 50 and which isengageable with the `ground in case the boat is propelled in Shoal water.`

In this form of the invention it 'will be seen, that under normal conditions that when traveling in deep water, the arm 49 will be in its lowermost position with the propeller located eonsiderablybelow the hottom of the boat and with the movable tunnel member 43 swung into horizontal posi tion. The water pressure will really oper' ate to hold this tunnell member in its raised position even though the locking means he released or omitted. ldhen the 'boat is nro-V pelled in shoal water which Vmight cause damage to the propeller, the shoe or slrid 55 will strike against the bottom and this will cause upward swinging movement of the arm 49 and the propeller shaft simultaneously with downward movement of the tunnel member '43. This form of thedevice is very efficient inasmuch as this tunnel structure will cause no appreciable drag and will therefore not interfere with the power or speed of the boat.

From the foregoing description and a study of the drawings it willbe apparent i that I have thus provided-a simply constructed tunnel structure and propeller mounting for boats whereby the boat may travel in shoal water without danger of injury to the propeller, as the propeller will automatic-ally be moved upwardly out of any possible engagement with the bottom. Owing to the simplicity of the construction and the fewness of the parts it is apparent that there is very little t0 get out of order and that the device should consequently have a long life and satisfactorily perform all the functions for which it is intended.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of the invention, it is of course to be understood that I reserve the right to make such changes in the form, Construction and arrangement of parts as will not depart from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention I claim:

l. In a boat, a pair of tunnel members hingedly connected with each other at their meeting ends and having` their other ends hingedly connected with the boat hull, a bearing member carried by one of the tunnel members, a propeller carrying shaft journaled through said bearingl member and flexibly connected with the main drive shaft, and shoe pivoted upon the bottom of the hull and extending below said propeller for elevating said tunnel members when engaging the bottom in shoal water.

2. In a boat, Aa pair of tunnel members hingedly connected with each other at their meeting ends and having their other ends hingedly connected with the boat hull, a bearing` member carried by one of the tunnel members, a propeller carrying shaft journaled through said bearing member and flexibly connected with the main drive shaft, and a shoe pivoted upon the bottom of the hull and extending below said propeller for elevating said tunnel members when engaging the bottom in shoal water, the rear end of the rearmost tunnel member being pivoted upon rearwardly extending arms carried by a hull, a cross member connecting the rear extremities of said arms and formed with a bearing, and a rudder post journaled through said last named bearing.

3. In a boat, a .pair of tunnel members hingedly connected with each other at their meeting ends and having their other ends hingedly connected with the boat hull, a bearing member carried by one of the tunnel members, a propeller carrying shaft journaled through said bearing member and flexibly connected with the main drive shaft, and a shoe pivoted upon the bottom of the hull and extending below said propeller forV elevating said tunnel members when engaging the bottom in Shoal water, and means' for locking said tunnel members vin either selected position.

4. In a boat, a pair of tunnel members hingedly connected with each other at their meeting ends and having their other ends hingedly connected with the boat hull, a bearing member carried by one of the tunnel members, a propeller carrying shaft journaled through said bearing member and flexibly connected with the main drive shaft, and a shoe pivoted upon the bottom of the hull and extending below said propeller for elevating said tunnel members when engaging the bottom in shoal water, and means for locking said tunnel members in either selected position, consisting of a shaft connected with the tunnel members and passed up through the hull and provided with a handle, and catch means for holding` said last named shaft in longitudinally adjusted p0- sition.

5. In a boat having the bottom of its hull inclined upwardly and rearwardly at its rear end, a propeller mounting comprising a pair of arms secured to the hull and extending rearwardly beyond the stern thereof, a tunnel member formed of front and rear sections pivoted in overlapping relation, the forward section being pivoted at its forward end to the underside of the hull at the front end of said inclined portion and the rear end of the rear section being pivotally connected with said arms, a cross member carried by the tunnel members at their point of connection and formed with a bearing, a propeller carrying shaft journaledthrough said bearing and having a flexible connection with the main drive shaft, an extension on said cross member, and a shoe pivoted upon the hull at the forward end of said inclined portion and extending` below and rearwardly beyond the propeller and connected with said extension.

6. In a boat having the bottom of its hull inclined upwardly and rearwardly at its rear end, a propeller mounting comprising a pair of arms secured to the hull and extending rearwardly beyond the stern thereof, a tunnelr member formed of front land rear sections pivoted in overlapping relation, the forward section being pivoted at its forward end to the underside of the hull at the front end of said inclined portion and the rear end of the rear section being` pivotally connected with said arms, a cross member carried by the tunnel members at their point of connection and formed with a bearing, a propeller carrying shaft journaled through said bearing and having a flexible connection with the main drive shaft, an extension on said cross member, and a shoe pivoted upon the hull at the forward end of said inclined portion and extendingbelow and rearwardly beyond the propeller, and means for holding the tunnel members at a selected posi tion, the shoe beingr secured to said extension.

7. `In a boat, a pair of tunnel members, one

5 tunnel membel` being Inova-bly mounted, a

pivoted arm Connected With tbe movable tunnel member and carrying a bottom en-` gagingsgkd, a 'bearingf'earried by lthe arm, and a movable shaft mounted in the bearing, carrying. e propeller:y anld'fexiblv connected 10 with the drive4 shaftof the boat.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature,

JOHN D; PARK, JR.V 

